Train to Busan sequel: Director reveals storyline will cover entire Korean peninsula

Zombie apocalypse thriller 'Train to Busan' director Yeon Sang-ho has revealed that he has started working on the sequel's script for the Gong Yoo starrer. Sang-ho hopes to start shooting for the much-awaited movie by next year.

As noted by websites Allkpop and Screen Daily, Yeon Sang-ho confirmed the news of the sequel to 'Train to Busan' on August 13. The working title for the sequel is "Bando," which means "peninsula" in Korean. The story will reportedly take place in the same universe established in the original but will also expand the scope of the story by including the entire Korean peninsula.

Speaking about the sequel, Sang-ho revealed to the media, "I'm still writing the script, but the scale is rather large since there will be action with something to it," Screen Daily reported. Revealing a bit more, he said, "It is an extension of Train to Busan, after the virus has spread throughout Korea, but the characters are not the same. It shares the same world view and is a zombie action film that deals with the aftermath on the peninsula of what happened in Train to Busan."

As per Allkpop, a representative of Yeon Sang-ho also said: "We are planning to begin filming in the first half of next year," adding, "We still have not cast any actors, so we are still preparing a lot of different things." Sang-ho claimed that he does not have any plans of making a 'Seoul Station' like the animated prequel to the 'Train to Busan' sequel.

Unfortunately for Gong Yoo fans, the representative also stated that the director has no plans of bringing back any of the 'Train to Busan' actors. It makes sense though, given the fact that most of the major characters of the movie succumbed to the viral outbreak and died. Both Gong Yoo and Ma Dong-seok's characters sacrificed themselves to save the lives of their family and the survivors.

It may be noted that French studio Gaumont had won the rights to an English language remake of 'Train to Busan,' in 2016. However, there have been no further announcements on the project.

The original 'Train to Busan,' was made at a modest budget of $8.5 million, as per its investor-distributor Next Entertainment World (NEW). It premiered at Cannes, out of competition, on May 13, 2016, and went on to earn $83 million in South Korea. It earned a further $45 million in the global market.

'Train to Busan' became the highest grossing South Korean film ever, at that time. It made Gong Yoo an international star; a reputation which he solidified with another critically acclaimed Korean TV series called 'Goblin' or 'Guardian: The Lonely and Great God.'